Angola President Lourenco skips national day to meet the Pope
Pope Francis (C), Angola's President Joao Lourenco (L) and his wife Ana Dias Lourenco (R) exchange gifts during a private audience at the Vatican on November 12, 2019. President Lourenco skipped his country's 44th independence anniversary for the visit to the Vatican at the Pope's invitation. PHOTO | ALBERTO LINGRIA | AFP
Angola President Joao Lourenco on Monday breached a global unwritten norm on national days when he skipped his country's independence day fete for a state visit to Italy and the Vatican.
National days are revered the world over and heads of states and governments usually plan their diaries around them; missing them only in the most pressing of emergencies.
